Field notes from the author of 60 Hikes Madison and Hiking Wisconsin
bladder campion blue blue flower blue iris blue wildflowers colombine flower fall fuschia hiking invasive lilies of wisconsin may apple mayapple berries mayapple leaf native nonnative northern iris orange wildflowers perennial pink prairie pointers prairie smoke photo purple purple avens photo purple flowers purple shooting star purple wildflowers red red trillium red wildflower river spring strawberry flowers summer violet violets white white shooting star flowers white wildflowers wild strawberries wild violets wisconsin state flower wisconsin trillium yellow yellow wildflower
Appears: Spring
Native to Wisconsin
The mayapple occurs in the south of Wisconsin and prefers moist woodland areas.
Look for these large leaves along the forest floor and the flowers will appear under them.
Mayapples also produce a berry that is mildly toxic. Some people eat that berry in summer, but why take a chance? Everything else about this plant is poisonous.
3 responses to “Mayapple”
The roots on mayapples are not poisonous and are used in herbal medicines.
JB.
The roots of mayapples are indeed toxic as are other parts of the plant, and the roots especially can cause skin problems, and parts of the plant will actually kill livestock. But in the hands of an expert the roots can be used to make an herbal stomach medicine. There’s often a fine line between toxin and medicine depending on amount and preparation. I certainly wouldn’t tell my kid it’s harmless though.
We love wildflowers. A group consisting of family members found some in the mead wildlife area on hwy s. Awesome plant. In fall we will take in the blooming prairie flowers. If we can, we bring a few friends.